Pre-draft On January 8, 2010, Thomas released a statement through the University of Texas which announced his decision to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2010 NFL Draft. He attended the NFL Scouting Combine in
Indianapolis and completed the majority of drills, but chose to skip the short shuttle and three-cone drill. On March 31, 2010, he participated at
Texas' pro day and improved his 40-yard dash (4.37s), 20-yard dash (2.47s), and 10-yard dash (1.49s). Thomas sustained a hamstring injury during his workout and was unable to complete his entire performance. He attended pre-draft visits and private workouts with multiple teams, including the
Pittsburgh Steelers,
Cleveland Browns, and
Miami Dolphins. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Thomas was projected to be a first round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the top safety in the draft by NFL analyst
Mike Mayock, was ranked the second best safety by NFL analyst
Mel Kiper Jr. and
ESPN Scouts Inc., and was ranked the second best cornerback prospect by DraftScout.com.
Seattle Seahawks 2010 The
Seattle Seahawks selected Thomas in the first round (14th overall) of the
2010 NFL draft. Thomas was the second safety drafted in 2010, behind
Eric Berry. At age 20, he was one of the youngest players eligible for the draft. On July 31, 2010, the Seahawks signed Thomas to a five-year, $18.30 million contract that includes $11.75 million guaranteed and a
signing bonus of $500,000. Head coach
Pete Carroll named Thomas the starting free safety to begin the regular season, alongside strong safety
Lawyer Milloy. He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the
Seattle Seahawks' season-opener against the
San Francisco 49ers and recorded seven combined tackles in their 31–6 victory. On September 26, 2010, Thomas made six combined tackles, two pass deflections, and two interceptions during a 27–20 victory against the
San Diego Chargers in Week 3. Thomas made his first career interception off a pass by Chargers' quarterback
Philip Rivers, that was originally intended for tight end
Antonio Gates, and returned it for a 34-yard gain in the fourth quarter. On November 14, 2010, he collected a season-high eight solo tackles in the Seahawks' 36–18 victory at the
Arizona Cardinals in Week 10. In Week 12, Thomas collected eight combined tackles and returned a blocked punt for the first touchdown of his career during a 42–24 loss to the
Kansas City Chiefs. Thomas recovered a blocked punt that
Kennard Cox blocked by
Dustin Colquitt and returned it for a ten-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Thomas started all 16 games during his rookie season in
2010 and recorded 76 combined tackles (64 solo), seven pass deflections, five interceptions, and a forced fumble. The Seattle Seahawks finished first in the
NFC West with a 7–9 record and earned a playoff berth. On January 9, 2011, Thomas started in his first career playoff game and recorded eight solo tackles and a pass deflection during a 41–36 victory against the
New Orleans Saints in the NFC
wild-card round. The following week, he made four solo tackles as the Seahawks lost 35–24 at the
Chicago Bears in the NFC
divisional round.
2011 Thomas entered training camp slated as the starting free safety. Head coach Pete Carroll named Thomas and
Kam Chancellor the starting safeties to begin the regular season. In Week 8, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (four solo) during a 34–12 loss to the
Cincinnati Bengals. The following week, Thomas recorded a season-high eight solo tackles in the Seahawks' 23–13 loss at the
Dallas Cowboys in Week 9. On December 27, 2011, it was announced that Thomas was selected to play in the
2012 Pro Bowl, marking the first
Pro Bowl selection of his career. Kam Chancellor and
Brandon Browner were also selected to the 2012 Pro Bowl. He finished the season with 98 combined tackles (69 solo), seven pass deflections, two interceptions, and a forced fumble in 16 games and 16 starts. Thomas was named second-team All-Pro and was ranked 66th on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.
2012 Thomas and Kam Chancellor returned as the Seahawks' starting safety duo. On November 4, 2012, Thomas collected a season-high seven combined tackles and deflected a pass during a 30–20 victory against the
Minnesota Viking in Week 9. The following week, he tied his season-high of seven combined tackles as the Seahawks defeated the
New York Jets 28–7 in Week 10. On December 16, 2012, Thomas recorded five combined tackles, broke up a pass, and had the first
pick six of his career during a 50–17 win at the
Buffalo Bills in Week 15. Thomas intercepted a pass by quarterback
Ryan Fitzpatrick, that was originally intended for tight end
Scott Chandler, and returned it for a 57-yard touchdown in the third quarter. On December 26, 2012, it was announced that Thomas was selected to the
2013 Pro Bowl and was the sole member of the Seahawks' defense to be selected in 2012. Thomas started in 16 games in
2012 and recorded 66 combined tackles (42 solo), nine pass deflections, three interceptions, a forced fumble, and one touchdown. On January 2, he was selected to the 2013 All-Pro Team. The
Seattle Seahawks finished second in the NFC West with an 11–5 record and earned a Wild Card berth. On January 6, 2013, Thomas started in the NFC
Wild Card Round and made four combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by quarterback
Robert Griffin III during the Seahawks' 24–14 victory over the
Washington Redskins. The following week, he recorded four combined tackles, broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass by
Matt Ryan in a 30–28 loss at the
Atlanta Falcons in the NFC
Divisional Round. He was ranked 66th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.
2013 The Seattle Seahawks' new defensive coordinator
Dan Quinn retained Thomas and Kam Chancellor as the starting safeties and
Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner as the starting cornerbacks after
Gus Bradley accepted the head coaching position with the
Jacksonville Jaguars. In Week 4, he recorded seven solo tackles, deflected a pass, made an interception, and forced a fumble during a 23–20 win at the
Houston Texans in Week 4. On October 28, 2013, Thomas collected a season-high ten solo tackles and made one pass deflection during a 14–9 victory at the
St. Louis Rams in Week 9. The following week, he collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (eight solo) in the Seahawks' 27–24 win against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10. On December 27, 2013, it was announced that Thomas was selected to the
2014 Pro Bowl, but was later replaced by
Antrel Rolle due to his participation in Super Bowl XLVIII. Thomas started in all 16 games and recorded a career-high 105 combined tackles. (78 solo), nine pass deflections, five interceptions, and two forced fumbles. He earned First Team All-Pro honors for the second consecutive season. He finished third in voting for AP Defensive Player of the Year. The
Seattle Seahawks finished first in the NFC West with a 13–3 record and earned a first round bye. On January 11, 2014, Thomas recorded 11 combined tackles (seven solo) and broke up two passes as the Seahawks defeated the
New Orleans Saints 23–15 in the
Divisional Round. The following week, they defeated the
San Francisco 49ers 23–17 in the
NFC Championship Game. On February 2, 2014, Thomas started in
Super Bowl XLVIII and made seven combined tackles and a pass deflection during a 43–8 victory against the
Denver Broncos. He was ranked 17th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.
2014 On April 28, 2014, the Seattle Seahawks signed Thomas to a four-year, $40 million contract extension with $27.72 million guaranteed and a
signing bonus of $9.50 million. On November 9, 2014, Thomas recorded six combined tackles, deflected a pass, and made his only interception of the season during a 38–17 victory against the
New York Giants in Week 10. Thomas intercepted a pass by quarterback
Eli Manning, that was intended for wide receiver
Odell Beckham Jr., and returned it for a 47-yard gain in the fourth quarter. In Week 17, he collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (11 solo) in the Seahawks' 20–6 win against the
St. Louis Rams. On December 23, 2015, Thomas was announced as a selection to play in the
2014 Pro Bowl. He finished the season with 97 combined tackles (71 solo), five pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and an interception in 16 games and 16 starts. He earned First Team All-Pro honors for the 2014 season. The Seahawks had the top-ranked defense in the NFL in fewest points allowed for the third straight season and finished atop the NFC West with a 12–4 record. On January 10, 2015, Thomas collected 11 combined tackles (five solo), two passes defended, and a forced fumble as the Seahawks defeated the
Carolina Panthers 31–17 in the
Divisional Round. The following week, he made five combined tackles, but suffered a dislocated shoulder in the second quarter of their 28–22 victory against the
Green Bay Packers in the
NFC Championship. On February 1, 2015, Thomas recorded nine combined tackles in the Seahawks' 28–24 loss to the
New England Patriots in
Super Bowl XLIX. He was ranked 21st by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.
2015 On February 24, 2015, Thomas underwent surgery to repair his shoulder injury after he separated it during the NFC Championship Game. He was expected to miss 6–8 months and subsequently missed training camp and the preseason. The Seattle Seahawks' promoted defensive backs coach
Kris Richard to defensive coordinator after Dan Quinn accepted the head coaching position with the
Atlanta Falcons. Richard retained Thomas and Kam Chancellor as the starting safeties to begin the regular season. He started in the
Seattle Seahawks' season-opener at the
St. Louis Rams and collected a season-high nine combined tackles in their 34–31 loss. On October 18, 2015, Thomas made four combined tackles, a season-high four pass deflections, and an interception during a 27–23 loss to the
Carolina Panthers. He intercepted a pass by quarterback
Cam Newton, that was originally intended for wide receiver
Jerricho Cotchery, in the first quarter. On December 22, 2015, it was announced that Thomas was voted to the
2016 Pro Bowl, marking his fifth consecutive selection. Thomas elected not to play in the 2016 Pro Bowl in an attempt to get his body healthy and was replaced by
Harrison Smith. He started in all 16 games in
2015 and recorded 64 combined tackles (45 solo), nine pass deflections, five interceptions, and one forced fumble. He was ranked 66th on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
2016 On October 30, 2016, Thomas recorded two combined tackles, deflected a pass, and returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown during a 25–20 loss at the
New Orleans Saints in Week 8. Thomas recovered a fumble and returned it for a 34-yard touchdown after
Cliff Avril stripped the ball from Saints' running back
Mark Ingram II during the first quarter. Afterwards, Thomas hugged a referee, the side judge Alex Kemp, and was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for doing it. In Week 10, he collected a season-high nine combined tackles in the Seahawks' 31–24 win at the
New England Patriots. On November 20, 2016, Thomas made four combined tackles and a pass deflection before exiting in the third quarter of the Seahawks' 26–15 win against the
Philadelphia Eagles due to a hamstring injury. His injury sidelined him for the Seahawks' Week 12 loss at the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and became the first game he missed during his career. The injury ended his streak of 107 consecutive regular season games. On December 4, 2016, Thomas suffered a broken
tibia after he collided with teammate
Kam Chancellor while breaking up a pass in the second quarter of the Seahawks' 40–7 victory against the
Carolina Panthers in Week 13. He tweeted shortly after the injury that he was considering retirement. On December 6, 2016, the Seattle Seahawks officially placed Thomas on injured reserve. Before being placed on IR, Thomas was leading all safeties in Pro Bowl votes making it likely he would have gone to his sixth straight. He finished the
2016 season with 48 combined tackles (24 solo), a career-high ten pass deflections, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown in 11 games and 11 starts. Despite the injury, Thomas was still ranked 30th by his peers on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.
2017 Thomas started in the
Seattle Seahawks' season-opener at the
Green Bay Packers and collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (seven solo) and a pass deflection in their 17–9 loss. He also had an interception off
Aaron Rodgers that was negated by an offsides penalty on defensive end
Michael Bennett. In Week 5, Thomas piled up seven tackles, intercepted
Jared Goff, and forced a fumble at the goal line on
Todd Gurley in a 16–10 win over the
Los Angeles Rams, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week. In Week 8, against the
Houston Texans, Thomas recorded a 78-yard interception return for a touchdown off
Deshaun Watson, the second pick-six of his career. Thomas would also add five tackles in the 41–38 victory, although he suffered a hamstring injury late in the fourth quarter. On December 19, 2017, Thomas was named to his sixth Pro Bowl. Thomas was ranked #48 by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
2018 At the start of the 2018 season, Thomas did not report to training camp expressing that he would hold out until the Seahawks either renegotiated his current contract or traded him to another team. After missing all of training camp and the preseason, Thomas reported to the Seahawks just days prior to Week 1 and was activated to the roster. On September 9, 2018, during the season opener against the
Denver Broncos, Thomas recorded an interception from quarterback
Case Keenum just five minutes into the game. This marked his 9th consecutive season recording an interception. In Week 3, against the
Dallas Cowboys, Thomas recorded his second career game with two interceptions in the 24–13 victory. During a Week 4 matchup against the
Arizona Cardinals, Thomas was carted off the field in the fourth quarter with a lower leg injury with an air cast attached to it, and gave "
the finger" to the Seahawks' bench. It proved to be the last time he would take the field in a Seahawks uniform; he had suffered a broken leg, ending his 2018 season. He was placed on injured reserve on October 2, 2018.
Baltimore Ravens On March 13, 2019, Thomas signed a four-year, $55 million contract with the
Baltimore Ravens with $32 million guaranteed. He had agreed in principle to sign a one-year, $12 million deal with the
Kansas City Chiefs a day earlier; the Chiefs were about to ferry him to Kansas City on a private jet when the Ravens outbid them at the last minute. It marked the 10th consecutive season in which Thomas recorded at least one interception. The Ravens went on to win 59–10. During the Ravens' Week 4 game against the
Cleveland Browns, Thomas lost some goodwill with Ravens fans when he missed a chance to stop an 88-yard touchdown burst by
Nick Chubb. Thomas said he pulled up at midfield because he had pulled a hamstring on a similar play during his days in Seattle (in
2017 against the
Houston Texans), and did not want to risk injury. In week 9 against the
New England Patriots, Thomas recorded his second interception of the season, picking off
Tom Brady in the 37–20 win. In Week 10 against the
Cincinnati Bengals, Thomas recovered a fumble forced by teammate
Chuck Clark on running back
Giovani Bernard in the 49–13 win. In Week 14 against the
Buffalo Bills, Thomas recorded a team high 7 tackles and sacked
Josh Allen during the 24–17 win, clinching a playoff berth. Thomas earned a Pro Bowl nomination for the 2019 season. In the divisional round of the playoffs against the
Tennessee Titans, Thomas recorded a team-high seven tackles and sacked quarterback
Ryan Tannehill during the 28–12 loss. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team for the 2010s. He was ranked 75th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2020. On August 21, 2020, Thomas and fellow safety
Chuck Clark got into an altercation during practice after Thomas missed a coverage that allowed
Mark Andrews to score a long touchdown. Thomas then punched Clark and was sent home. After the Ravens advised Thomas not to come to practice on August 22, they released him the next day for conduct detrimental to the team, or, as the team put it, "personal conduct that has adversely affected the Baltimore Ravens". His release came after players told coach
John Harbaugh and general manager
Eric DeCosta they did not want Thomas back on the team. No other team signed him during the season. According to an article by
The Athletic, even though Thomas had made seven of the last nine Pro Bowls, he had developed a reputation for being "uncoachable". According to a number of his former Seahawks teammates and coaches, they had been able to manage the situation until 2017, when Chancellor suffered a career-ending neck injury and Sherman had his season prematurely ended by a ruptured Achilles tendon. In what proved to be a warning sign, Thomas put out feelers to the Cowboys, which was dismissed at the time as "Earl being Earl". By 2018, he frequently refused to practice, apparently to protect his value in free agency. ==NFL career statistics==